Trini Garcia

Trini "Gordo" Garcia (died April 1945) was a US Army corporal who served as a tank driver in the US 2nd Armored Division during World War II.

Biography
Trini Garcia was born in the southwestern United States to a family of Mexican descent, and he enlisted in the US Army during World War II. Garcia served under Don Collier as the driver of the M4 Sherman tank Fury during Operation Torch in North Africa in 1942, the Battle of Normandy in France in 1944, and in the Liberation of Belgium in late 1944-1945. In 1945, the crew of the tank advanced into Germany during the Central Europe Campaign, with Garcia continuing to serve as driver. During the invasion of Germany, Garcia spent time with a German prostitute in the tank, sharing her with loader Grady Travis. Garcia later told the new recruit Norman Ellison about the horrors of Normandy as they sat down for breakfast with two German cousins, telling him about the process of shooting a wounded horse; they spent three days killing wounded horses that were left behind by the Germans during the Falaise Gap campaign. Garcia would haze Ellison until he became a true member of the crew, and they fought together during the drive into Germany. In April 1945, they took part in the tank's last stand at the Battle of Hagenohsen, and Garcia was shot while attempting to throw a grenade at the German troops. Garcia sacrificed himself by covering the grenade with his own body, absorbing the impact and saving his fellow crew members.